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Nothing lies like statistics. Do a search on real unemployment rate and you get numbers from one end of the scale to the other. However, a common theme of under-reporting by the labor department emerges. This article http://www.nypost.com/p/news/busines...hnMcCi537pucaJ was particularly interesting though it's statistics are probably weighted toward the worst possible jobless rate that the numbers can reflect.

I don't know about the rest of you, but the politics of the day make me sick. I'm a republican (wearing a gas mask and holding my nose while typing this), but I don't think either party gives a rip about getting out of this hole our politicians have put us in. All they care about is who has the upper hand. Pundits have predicted the 2012 president will cost 1 billion dollars or more. It's common knowledge that corporations donate to both parties. That is nothing more than hedging their bets to ensure they have a say with the incoming administration regardless of the party.

It's all about money and influence. Remember, both parties handed out billions (that we don't have) in the name of saving the economy. How is that working out?

fp

I totally agree. That is why I was not for extending the tax cuts. I would like to see cuts everywhere and stop the wasteful spending and start lowering the deficit.

I totally agree. That is why I was not for extending the tax cuts. I would like to see cuts everywhere and stop the wasteful spending and start lowering the deficit.

RP..... Isnt this kind of double speak?????? If the government would cut wasteful spending, our taxes could go down....... i.e. a tax cut. We can lower the deficit without taxing the people...... there are OTHER ways..... you've said it yourself, but apparently havent put it all together.....

RP..... Isnt this kind of double speak?????? If the government would cut wasteful spending, our taxes could go down....... i.e. a tax cut. We can lower the deficit without taxing the people...... there are OTHER ways..... you've said it yourself, but apparently havent put it all together.....

Like I said earlier, the only cuts that will significantly affect the deficit are the type of cuts nobody who wants a political future are willing to propose.

Look at the budget pie. DEFENSE AND ENTILTLEMENTS

Niether party is willing to touch those.

Eliminating WIC, NEA, and a handful of other programs altogether, will not even cover the annual interest on our debt! That's not to say that every program shouldn't be scrutinized and economized, but unless you hit the big items, you're whizzing in the wind.

RP..... Isnt this kind of double speak?????? If the government would cut wasteful spending, our taxes could go down....... i.e. a tax cut. We can lower the deficit without taxing the people...... there are OTHER ways..... you've said it yourself, but apparently havent put it all together.....

"If you want to talk firsts for Bush, this was the first time in American history that a president took us into a war and cut taxes."

As the talk about the price tag for the war in Afghanistan heats up, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at Krugman's claim about Bush being the first to cut taxes after leading the country into war, and to add some context. Generally, we found, taxes and wars have followed a fairly predictable pattern: Taxes rise during wartime and then come back down in the years afterward.
We'll start with the Civil War. Congress enacted various income and excise taxes to meet the rising cost of the war, most of which were repealed in the years after the war.
During World War I, the 1916 Revenue Act and the War Revenue Act of 1917 increased tax revenue from $761 million in 1916 to $3.6 billion in 1918. After the war, in the 1920s, Congress cut taxes five times.
The same was true during World War II. Tax increases over several years raised revenues from $8.7 billion in 1941 to $45.2 billion in 1945. Again, tax cuts followed the war. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-me...-lead-country/

I dont care who did what or didnt do something..... I want to see somebody in the now take action. Didnt we pay like billions of dollars to send a rover to mars and watch it hump a rock????? Lets start there.......

DNF- you mentioned entitlements...... I think the good old USA did OK before these were enacted...... how about pulling them back a bit....... Oh wait.... you'll lose the lazy man's vote.... (1/3 of america) Im just tired of footing the bill for people who are lazy and feel entitled..... If I want to help a neighbor out, that's my perogative..... and I have in the past...... But when the government wants my money to dole out to whom they see fit, with little to no vetting..... I have a problem with that, and so should you.

I dont care who did what or didnt do something..... I want to see somebody in the now take action. Didnt we pay like billions of dollars to send a rover to mars and watch it hump a rock????? Lets start there.......

DNF- you mentioned entitlements...... I think the good old USA did OK before these were enacted...... how about pulling them back a bit....... Oh wait.... you'll lose the lazy man's vote.... (1/3 of america) Im just tired of footing the bill for people who are lazy and feel entitled..... If I want to help a neighbor out, that's my perogative..... and I have in the past...... But when the government wants my money to dole out to whom they see fit, with little to no vetting..... I have a problem with that, and so should you.

Common sense regards.....

Troy, I DO have a problem with that. But that wide brush is used to paint over many who do NOT abuse the system. Elderly, who would have NO health care if not for medicare.

Before entitlements (I assume we both were not around then) we were NOT just fine. I'm not for coddling the lazy, but there are people who WORKED all their lives, only to have their pensions and benefits yanked out from under them after their company moved overseas or pulled legal tricks to get out of their obligations.

I would agree to careful vetting of recipients of public assistance. But would not throw out the entire bushel for a few bad apples.

I dont care who did what or didnt do something..... I want to see somebody in the now take action. Didnt we pay like billions of dollars to send a rover to mars and watch it hump a rock????? Lets start there.......

DNF- you mentioned entitlements...... I think the good old USA did OK before these were enacted...... how about pulling them back a bit....... Oh wait.... you'll lose the lazy man's vote.... (1/3 of america) Im just tired of footing the bill for people who are lazy and feel entitled..... If I want to help a neighbor out, that's my perogative..... and I have in the past...... But when the government wants my money to dole out to whom they see fit, with little to no vetting..... I have a problem with that, and so should you.

Common sense regards.....

NASA's twin robot geologists, the Mars Exploration Rovers, launched toward Mars on June 10 and July 7, 2003, in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. They landed on Mars January 3 and January 24 PST, 2004 (January 4 and January 25 UTC, 2004).

It seems like all the money wasted-- tax cuts/wars/ NASA (which you are talking about) came during the last administration and NOW you want them fixed. Wouldn't the time to fix them have during the last administration????NOW you want to cut the programs or disbanded the programs that help out the people that the last administration put out of work.
The Republicans wanted the tax cuts extended NOW when we can least afford them. Of course anything that takes $ out of your pocket you are against -- lets take it out on everyone but me Just when do you think you Republicans should bite the bullet and take responsibility for what YOUR guy did to put us in the hole we are in now?

You know, what the Bush administration did is just like you being married and your wife runs up all the credit cards and then decides to divorce you and you get stuck with all the bills, house payments, child support and alimony and she walks away owing nothing.

Roger, you are free to send all of your extra money you have lying around to the IRS. They will gladly take it off your hands. You don't have to wait for them to come get it. Just bag it up and drive on over and give it to them. Obama will send you an autographed photo of himself in gratitude.